Thing's to do in Catalonia, Spain

Going to Spain this summer? Here's a few tourist attractions and sightseeing places to visit

Last summer I spent two weeks in Catalonia Spain, I booked a package holiday with Thomson's and stayed in Salou at the Best Los Angeles Hotel. Before I left the UK I booked two excursions direct with Thomson's and then used TripAdvisor to find things to do in Salou and nearby places I could travel to by bus so I could spend two weeks of exploring Catalonia and not just sunbathing by the beach - although I did do that a lot, hey a girl needs to get a tan!

You can read my travel diary posts from the two weeks I spent in Spain for more info and photos, here. All the places I visited from Salou where all within an hour and a half or less, so are well worth the trip.

BARCELONA

We booked a coach trip with Thomson's, they picked us up in Salou and dropped us off in Barcelona for a day of exploring the beautiful cosmopolitan city, it has a wide range of cultural and leisure offerings. The journey from Salou to Barcelona is around 1hr 20mins. (See post: Barcelona)

Cathedral - The Gothic Quarter is where you can find an amazing looking 13th century Cathedral, you can walk inside and have a stroll around and visit the gardens where it's home to some geese.

Casa Batllo -When visiting Barcelona you will come across some fantastic Gothic architecture from Antoni Gaudi, the Casa Batllo is one of my favourite buildings of his, it has a colourful curved dragon roof, with irregular oval windows and the front is made from broken ceramic tiles.

La Rambla - La Rambla is a long street popular with tourists and locals, where you will find shops, street artists and restaurants it's where I brought a delicious yogurt and blueberry smoothie for 2 euros.

La Boqueria Market - Here you will find stacks of colourful fresh fruit and all the chocolate treats you could ever wish for, along with other wholesale vegetables, meat and fish.

Park Guell - The Park Guell is a park home to 19th century Gaudi architecture and beautiful gardens. Here you can capture some beautiful snaps overlooking Barcelona and the park is full of colourful mosaics.

TARRAGONA

We visited Tarragona on the bus, it cost 2 euros each way and the busses were regular so we spent the whole day there. I loved Tarragona, its a heritage site home to ancient ruins, cobbled streets and medieval alley ways. The journey from Salou to Tarragona is 20 mins. (See post: Tarragona)

Roman Amphitheatre - Right next to the beautiful Mediterranean beach of Tarragona, is the ancient ruins of a Roman Amphitheater, you can pay a small fee to enter.

Roman Aqueduct - The Roman Aqueduct is a must see if you love history, its been there for 2000 years and you can still walk across it, its a brilliant example of the engineering abilities of the ancient Romans.

Cathedral - Tarragona is a lovely little town, full of history and stunning architecture, the cathedral is a must visit, there's also fish and ducks in the garden.

SALOU

Salou is where our hotel was and it's more targeted to families and the nightlife.

Port Aventura Park - Salou is home to Port Aventura Theme Park, it's the most visited theme park in Spain with over 4 million visitors a year.

Illuminated Fountain - The fountain display was a short walk from our hotel, and is a pretty night time display facing the beach.

Cambrils & La Pineda - Within a short bus ride or long stroll along the beach front you can find these two places, we spent our Sundays going for long walks and came across these two places and found some lovely buildings and beaches along the way. (See post: Cambrils)

MONTSERRAT MOUNTAIN

To visit the Montserrat Mountains we had a day trip with Thomson's, who along the way gave us fascinating stories about the multi-peaked mountain which is home to a monastery. To get to the top of the mountain you can take a train along the cliff edge, to find a whole community living there above the clouds. It's a fantastic place to hike too, the views are beautiful. There are shops, restaurants, museums, a monastery and lots of hiking trails. (See post: Montserrat Mountains)